How to Create Art that Reflects Your True Self?
We artists talk a lot about finding our visual style. But while working on with this watercolor painting, I started to wonder if we try to force it too much through big declarations like:
– “I am going to paint portraits only.”
– “I am a fantasy artist.”
– “I only do abstracts.”
Isn’t style more in small and practical decisions that take place when we are creating. The problems arise so quickly and accidentally that we routinely respond to them. We often follow the easiest or the most ordinary path which usually leads to art that doesn’t reflect our true selves.
Child Doesn’t Think about Visual Style
When I was a small child, every day was filled with wonders of life. When I didn’t think too much of what would be appreciated in the world of adults, I led myself to enjoy things fully. I didn’t question if my hair was ok when my mother asked me to get in front of the camera. I loved the sunny day, the attention, and was proud of that big carrot, a miracle grown in our own garden.
So, when starting a painting, more than trying to see the whole garden at once, I try to dig out a carrot – a small detail that I choose to embrace. It can look ugly and insignificant to others, but to me, it feels lovely.
If I start questioning if this is my style, it’s like saying “If you want to become an artist, you should hold a brush instead of a carrot” to the child. In the class Floral Fantasies, I have an exercise where we grow a painting from a baby to an adult. The painting that’s just a small child can’t look like a grown-up. At best, you move towards your true self layer by layer.
Overcoming the Seek of Acceptance
Expression-wise, the most important decisions are made when you have been painting for a while. Then you are dealing with a teenager. In general and also in paintings, it’s the age when you follow what others do and seek acceptance.
I tend to lock too easily what comes up in the middle of the painting process. In this watercolor painting, I saw a duck coming up. It would have been so easy to make the duck the centerpiece of the painting. I like animals, and I know many of my customers like them too. But I wanted the image to be more mysterious and express growth. So I left the egg instead and changed the duck to a pot. It required a lot more work, but I am very happy with the decision!
Preserving Some, Letting Some Go
I have had the privilege to follow my dog Cosmo getting old. In the age of 14, has let go of many things, but he fights to keep the things he has always enjoyed. He wants to go for a walk in the woods, steal my socks, and roll over to get a pig’s ear.
With Cosmo, I have been thinking about how difficult it is to me to let go of the things that I don’t even want.
Here’s what we artists say to ourselves when we refuse to remove the duck, the obvious or the accidental elements:
– “Maybe somebody else will enjoy this painting.”
– “It was just an experiment.”
– “My next painting will be better.”
– “I don’t know if this is good or bad.”
– “I feel unfocused.”
If we try to preserve everything, we are left with nothing. Like Cosmo, we need to choose what makes life and our images rich and what reflects our true selves. Not forgetting “stealing socks” – embracing humor, small vices, often little embarrassing characteristics that make us who we are.
To me, putting more value on these small decisions in the middle of creating has helped to make art that, more often than before, reflects my true self and is a clear presentation of my visual style.
You can still sign up for my class Floral Fantasies while it’s running. So sign up before May 24 to grab this class! >> Sign up here!
Watercolor Interiors – Four Tips
Here’s a watercolor painting that I made while being a student of Finnish watercolor artist Mika Törönen. I took the class to understand more about watercolors. Watercolor is a weird medium, and its weirdness fascinates me! Watercolors seem simple and easy at first. But the more you paint, and the more atmospheric you want your paintings, especially watercolor interiors, to be, the more challenging they become.
I have recently realized that more than outdoor sceneries, I love painting interiors. Here are some of my tips for painting watercolor interiors!
1) Start with Geometry and Positive Attitude
Last spring, I committed to learning more watercolor techniques. I built a class called Watercolor Journey.
In the past, when I was teaching IT professionals my colleagues often said: “You learn best when you are teaching.” First, it felt like cheating because I thought that teachers have to know everything already before starting a class. But when you have to break things into small manageable and teachable parts, deeper insights come up. This way I have found simple methods and easy guidelines for making rich and creative paintings.
This painting is made for the exercise of Watercolor Journey. It’s about painting geometric shapes and thus simplifying the interior. You can make the photo more blurry by squeezing your eyes, and focus on the flat shapes that you see from it, for example.
But methods, tips, and guidelines are not the only useful things that I have learned by building classes. By making sure that I teach with a smiling voice and appearance, I have learned to think positively about what I do and how to encourage myself. One of the most depressing things in classes is to hear negative self-talk, whether it comes from the teacher or the student. That’s why I think it’s important always to express positive emotions, the love for art, and all the enthusiasm that can be found from creating.
2) Choose a Reference You Love
Mika Törönen creates his beautiful paintings from the references. We also had to pick some for the class. I wanted to continue the inspiration that I got by visiting Italy a couple of years ago. I chose a snapshot taken from one of my favorite places – Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Many students used the same photos as references as the teacher did, but to me, it’s difficult to use references that I don’t have any connection.
I didn’t aim for an exact copy but still, the photo was quite complicated and it took all the three sessions to complete to painting. I learned some tricks from Mika Törönen, like how to prevent the paper from curling while working (watch the video where I use the method for painting a watercolor bookmark), and the courage to use small shapes and lines of very thick paint when finishing.
The class was based on us students watching him paint. He wasn’t very good at translating his methods to words but as far as I saw it, a lot was to do with finding abstract elements from the photos and building a composition from that. He didn’t guide much, and the painting time was quite limited. The benefit for me was that I got new energy for working with watercolors. I painted a lot between the three weekly sessions.
3) Embrace Surreal to Express Emotions
One of the paintings that I have made recently, is this surreal interior. I used several references for this one and also worked quite loosely from them. Choosing one reference is not always the best starting point because it can control the work too much.
Here, my most important influencer was the feeling that I got after the first class session. The session was very quiet, and I felt the loneliness that felt both good and bad. Loneliness gives the chance to spend quality time with imagination. But of course, it is also a sad feeling.
When I have clarity about a specific emotion, I have both the positive and the negative aspect in mind. That tension inspires me to express it. In this painting, I used a fish to symbolize creativity that I connect with the time spent alone.
Often, the loneliness is in your head. You can feel alone even if you are surrounded by people. So I left a blank triangular ray of light that hits her head.
Working with creativity and without other people’s perspectives, can make things turn upside down. I used my photo of Palazzo Vecchio’s Hall of Five Hundred as a loose reference. If I turn the piece, you might recognize some of it.
4) Design the Lighting and Focus on the Light
Here’s my latest watercolor painting called “Eternity”. I think that it’s most loose of all the paintings of this blog post because here, I focused on the light.
My reference photo was taken in an old church Chiesa del Gesu in Rome. It was only a starting point. After the first pale compositional layers, I abandoned it.
The elements and the lighting didn’t quite match my vision of
I used a lot of water when making this one! Sprayed, too!
Watercolor Interiors – and Flowers!
I used Arches Rough 300 gsm watercolor paper for these three watercolor interiors. I hope that this blog post inspired you to pick your watercolor set and paint some watercolor interiors!
This spring I will rerun my class Floral Fantasies in Three Styles, where we paint watercolor florals, a very suitable theme to go with the interiors! There will also be an extra watercolor exercise, which will be available separately if you already have the class. Stay tuned!
How Inktober Strengthened My Visual Voice
This is the second blog post about participating Inktober drawing challenge. See the first post here!
Inktober Experience in a Nutshell
Here’s what this challenge did to me:
1) Following the prompts and working with black ink only revealed some creative blocks. Becoming aware of these helped me to remove them!
2) I found what I love to draw and it has strengthened my visual voice.
3) I have always liked to draw with non-erasable ink but now I am addicted! I am more creative when I can’t erase the lines.
4) I have a lot of stories to tell that have never found their way to my art before.
5) I like being challenged by weird words that are difficult or even appalling to visualize.
What you can learn from all this:
a) Draw with pen or pencil only now and then so that your voice won’t get hidden behind the products.
b) Write what people have said to you about your creative skills. These may have been good advice back then but irrelevant now.
c) Start a list about things you love – these are also the things you should draw, no matter how superficial or deep they are. Make sure you include some things you loved when you were a child.
d) Give yourself a problem and solve it by drawing. Don’t settle for the obvious solutions!
Strengthening the Visual Voice – Watch the Video!
In the video, you can see all 31 drawings as a flip-through video, some thoughts, and how I used my sketchbook during the challenge.
I also attach the drawings in this blog post with the notes that I wrote for each one during Inktober.
Inktober #13 – Guardian
The external world may be designed for extroverts, but every introvert is a designer and guardian of her own world.
Inktober #14 – Clock
As a child, my favorite play was to be the queen of England. I lived in a small town near the Russian border, and the only real luxury was nature. To me, trees were the pillars of the enormous halls, and I graciously wandered from room to room, repainting every plant and bird in my mind. No matter what’s the time or the place, this is still true: We can’t be the queens of England, but we can all be the queens of Imagination.
Inktober #15 – Weak
Even if all the ties and responsibilities may feel heavy, they are what keep us going through the hard times. Let’s stay connected so that we can support one another!
Inktober #16 – Angular
Have you seen the newest version of The Great Gatsby? It’s directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann, and it’s gorgeous. My favorite scene is the big party scene where everybody dances disco: “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” wearing art deco party dresses in a divine-looking villa with pools, staircases and all. So today and tomorrow my Inktober pieces are dedicated to a big party, and you are all invited!
Inktober #17 – Swollen
Let’s continue the party from yesterday! Imagine that art has two feet. One foot represents the techniques, and the other one is the imagination. Moving forward in one foot only is impossible in the long run. You need both feet. And – even if sometimes your other foot is swollen, don’t let that bother you too much! Here’s to celebrate our creativity!
Inktober #18 – Bottle
If only we could bottle nature inspiration! I would have a stash of Finnish summer days! Now when trees are losing their leaves, I could spray some summer breeze and the smell of peonies!
Inktober #19 – Scorched
Sometimes the process is more beautiful than what comes out of it. All of us who like arts and crafts have experienced that, do you agree?!
Inktober #20 – Breakable
The misconceptions about what we can’t do are breakable. When becoming aware of any of mine, it feels like I have been a bird inside a soap bubble forgetting to use the beak. Why float inside the bubble when you can fly? Let’s believe in ourselves!!
Inktober #21 – Drain
After drawing some ethereal and romantic pieces, I went to a couple of contemporary art exhibitions and this happened! When I was studying industrial design, it was made clear to me that this is NOT the acceptable style to draw. But today, let’s not care about those “don’t”s and “no”s and denials, and let the humor be a part of the art!
Inktober #22 – Expensive
What could be the most expensive bouquet ever? All the four seasons in one bunch!
Inktober #23 – Muddy
I believe in mud and dirt. If life becomes too sterile, it is not enjoyable anymore. That’s why I have animals and house plants, the garden, and I think that those who have children share this thought too. The same principle applies to art as well. If every stroke you paint, every line you draw is controlled and pre-planned, it lacks the soil where the ideas grow. So here’s to celebrate the mud in our lives!
Inktober #24 – Chop
Now when I am well over the halfway, I have started to make a list of things that I love to draw. My list includes stuff like folk art, antique jewelry, glass, fabric, etc. Most of them are quite decorative and luxurious stuff. I have also sliced and chopped these words to less general subjects like Russian handpainted trays, victorian necklaces, crystal, kelim, etc. It has felt like day by day, I am getting more hang of what I really love to illustrate. One item on the list is citrus fruits, oranges, lemons, etc. so I made some for today’s challenge, decorated with jewels and folk art, of course! — Tell me, what’s on your list!
Inktober #25 – Prickly
Virginia Woolf has said: “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” So when the pot feels prickly and the hat too heavy, there can still be some kind of peace and satisfaction in all that.
Inktober #26 – Stretch
This one is dedicated for all who love to write. Many prepare for NaNoWriMo to write a novel during November. I am more of a visual creator, but there’s definitely risktaking involved in both writing and drawing. You never know where it takes you, but that’s also a big part of the reward!
Inktober #27 – Thunder
Only 4 to go! Really enjoyed drawing this one.
Inktober #28 – Gift
Out of the box, towards the change! Ink pens and watercolor on Bristol paper.
Inktober #29 – Double
When you get to spend time with someone who likes similar things … Thank you, my friend, fantasy artist Eeva Nikunen! Here’s for the friendships between artistic souls!
Inktober #30 – Jolt
When I started this monthly challenge, I was quite timid. First, I used everyday life as an inspiration, but the more I drew, the more I yearned to go on a journey to the hidden world. I have always loved Russian zhostovo paintings, luxury handbags, decorative fabrics, antique jewelry, Dolce & Gabbana … so slowly all the luxury found their way to these drawings.
First, it felt like they would be fragile and disappear soon, but now I can take a hammer and hit them, and they just keep flowing onto paper. I have cried because I have lost a part of my old style and mindset, but after 30 drawings, there’s no hammer big enough to make all of this luxury disappear. Thank you for still following me, I know this has been quite a change for many of you, I hope you continue the journey with me anyway.
Inktober #31 – Slice
After the challenge, I am a like a nomad, carrying all the stuff that has come along with the journey, wondering what will happen next. Time will tell! Here, have a slice of cake with me to celebrate both this accomplishment and Happy Halloween!
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How Inktober Helped Me To Cure a Creative Block
This month, I am participating in a daily drawing challenge called Inktober. My goal was to make 10 ink drawings based on the first ten official prompts. I have passed the goal, and now I am trying to make as many as I can. As an experience, this challenge has had a ground-breaking effect on me. With Inktober prompts, I have discovered a creative block and cured it!
Supplies
For the first five drawings, I used black pens and inks from the stash. My illustrations have been quite detailed, so they take a lot of ink. I have made some purchases and will need more pens if I keep going. Here’s what I have currently in use!
I make the drawings on Nuuna Square Bang Sketchbook. It is 9,5 x 9,5 inches, which is a good size for daily work. The basic pens are Copic Multiliners. The tip sizes that I now have are 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0. I am planning to purchase 0.05 too because I like to draw small elements! I also have a Pentel brush pen for larger areas. I love this pen. It is refillable and comes with extra ink tanks. The brush is wonderfully soft and precise and the ink flows effortlessly.
My Expectations – Stretching to a More Masculine Zone
I started the challenge with an open mind. Building Watercolor Journey was a huge workload. I wanted to make a comprehensive class, and it took a lot of my time during the summer. Now when I got the self-study version available, I wanted to reward myself by taking part in the challenge. My idea was to draw what I love, the only limitations being that I had to use black ink and follow the prompts.
Because Inktober is mostly for fantasy artists, the themes are very different than what I would choose. Many of the prompts are about the darker side of life, but I thought that little stretching would do me good. The biggest fear that I had was that the people who follow me on social media would totally ban me. I knew that because of the prompts and the black ink, my work would look more masculine than before. But I didn’t expect anything ground-breaking to happen regarding my style or visual voice. But something did happen, quite unexpectedly.
Discovering a Creative Block
When I picked a pen and started drawing the first image, I heard myself saying: “Paivi, be careful.” The tone was gentle but the voice was definitely of my inner critic. And as soon as I wondered what I should be careful about, an old drawing came to my mind. It was a black ink drawing as well, an exercise for the first class that I took in industrial design. We had to make a series of images showing the product, and mine was a hilarious collection of detailed drawings showing all the enthusiasm I had for industrial design back then. I don’t remember the exact words that my teacher used but I got the message that it was all wrong, a bit pathetic even. I should be more systematic and not so decorative.
It was a critique that was beneficial for an industrial designer but totally irrelevant and wrong for a person who is more of an artist and illustrator. But back then, I was not able to see that the direction that I was heading was different so I took it deep into my heart. I also remember some other situations during my studies when I was accused of being too decorative. That was good for me back then, opening my eyes for expressing the form instead of the surface only. But now when working in the field of art, the situation is different.
So when I heard the whisper to be careful, it meant that I should not be too decorative when drawing industrially manufactured items like syringes that I intended to include in the first drawing. Becoming aware of this block has turned a new page in my artistic path.
Inktober #1 – Poisonous
Maybe sometimes we think that something is poisonous when it’s not?
While drawing the first entry for the challenge, I allowed myself to be as decorative and detailed as possible. I accepted the union of industrial objects and more abstract elements and went with the flow. Here’s to those past student years!
Inktober #2 – Tranquil
To me, tranquility and yarn go hand in hand. In the evenings I like to knit, cross-stitch, or quilt to calm myself down. So it’s like the threads and yarn tie little moments happened during the day together. The day that felt chaotic in the afternoon becomes tranquil and meaningful before I go to sleep.
The second insight came with the second prompt. I haven’t even considered myself a surreal artist, but the drawing came out so naturally that it started to make sense.
Inktober #3 – Roasted
After starting to work from home, I have been forced to get deeper into the world of cooking. I have made some disastrous meals because I don’t like to follow recipes and don’t have much experience either. But now, after four years, I have found a way that works quite often. I buy good ingredients. I study several recipes and then figure out what my version could be. I use a timer a lot, just because I am often in my thoughts and don’t realize how minutes fly. I like roasted vegetables, especially roasted carrots, so this is for them!
With the third prompt, I wanted to try if I could make something out of less romantic subjects that I would normally choose. Here, I found drawing the oven most inspiring which was an interesting observation. Is the industrial designer raising her head?
Inktober #4 – Spell
I connect the spell with the atmosphere of the inner world. It could be like a cloud hanging over the scenery, sending sounds and lighting candles. I haven’t been a big fan of fantasy novels or such, but when I am creating, the fantasy can easily take over!
The prompt was a weird one for me, but the result is the old average. It didn’t feel so comfortable anymore. Something was lacking there.
Inktober #5 – Chicken
Something big is happening and the change feels scary.
– “I can’t do it! I have to protect what I already have.”
And then the whole universe shouts “Chicken!”
You can’t stop the change. You need to follow the eggs.
The fifth drawing started as a funny one, but at the end, it felt like it was speaking about me. Consciously, I didn’t have any idea what had changed but it felt that I can’t keep on creating like before.
Inktober #6 – Drooling
When your mind is drooling for beauty so that you feel you are eating all the forbidden fruits.
In this drawing, it became visible and clear to me that my creative block had forbidden me to draw decorative items that I adore. I love high fashion, jewelry, elegant fabrics, tassels, pearls, fur, you name it. I don’t grave them so that I would like to wear or own them but my world of fantasy never has a lack of this luxury. I have always thought this is a superficial characteristic in me, but this attitude feels too restricting now when I am more conscious of it.
Inktober #7 – Exhausted
Here’s how I define the exhaustion of the 21st century: You have done too much, and it feels like you have done nothing yet. You have too much stuff to sort out, and it feels like you haven’t got all you need. You are at the bottom of the big pile, and the clock is ticking: “Don’t forget! You are late!”
When drawing like this, I feel the satisfaction that I have never had before. It’s not that this way of expression would be technically more brilliant than my best work so far or superior to what everybody else does. It’s just that it’s like looking myself in the mirror, seeing all the goods and bads, and accepting what’s there. Isn’t it so that no matter how much you admire other artists if you imagine their work to be yours, it feels empty or defective in some ways? At least to me, there are hundreds of artists that I admire passionately and would happily hang their paintings on my walls, but if I were the one creating them, my fingers would itch to change something.
Inktober #8 – Star
Even if I work from home and live an extremely boring life (if you look at it from outside that is), I am a nomad, we all are. We get it when Harley-Davidson advertises motorcycles with the slogan: “Everything you need, nothing you don’t.” It’s about The Freedom – a full-designed package of service including a couple of woven carpets, one string of prayer flags, five long minutes of photographing bokeh and flares on the mountains, a ride downhill feeling a warm wind and hearing the sound of the beautifully polished engine. Some change the motorcycle to a horse or even to a Corvette, but it’s all the same, here’s to The Freedom!
During the challenge, I have not only found new ways to draw, but I have also discovered that I am bursting with stories! Most of the stories are connected with items that have a symbolic meaning to me.
Inktober #9 – Precious
We get excited about a new thing. The next thought is that we need the products. All the products. Happened to me so many times! But hey, let’s not get lost in the products. Discovering yourself is more precious than any product.
What if the challenge wouldn’t have the restriction of supplies, and what if it wouldn’t be specifically for inks, related to my creative block? It’s possible that nothing would have changed. Seeing the stream of simple drawings and how they change one after another, has brought such clarity that I wonder how many times the creative blocks hide under products. When I have bought a new set of this or that, have I subconsciously avoided the block?
Inktober #10 – Flowing
In the Renaissance, the strong currency called Florin enabled the birth of financial professionals like bankers. Today, their working environment looks very different, and the change may feel vast, but that’s only if we keep our perspective narrow.
The facts:
Renaissance was about 500 years ago.
The age of the earth: 4,5 billion years.
The age of our universe: 13.8 billion years.
Here’s to honor all who work in finance but also to remind how money is just a tiny island in the flowing ocean of time.
As a former engineer, I believe in the power of knowledge. But it’s new that I want to express that in my art too!
Inktober #11 – Cruel
Life can be cruel. It throws more and more for those who already have plenty while those who have nothing can’t get anything.
This prompt was not an easy one. I felt sadness and shame. But once I got the idea, I had to draw it out.
Inktober #12 – Whale
Love makes us brave. No matter how timid we are, we can do anything for those who we love.
During Inktober, I have found a way to connect the things that I love from storytelling to decorative designs and illustrational art. So far, it has brought a new sense of happiness in my artistic path. It’s also a scary feeling – what will happen next, what will I do with all these? Time will tell!
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